Daria Kasatkina officially assigned Australian flag on WTA website

Daria Kasatkina has been officially assigned the Australian flag on the WTA website. The 27-year-old recently announced in a post on her official account on the social media platform Instagram that she has been granted Australia’s permanent residency and that she was very proud of the development.

"I am delighted to let you all know that my application for permanent residency has been accepted by the Australian Government," she wrote. "Australia is a place I love, is incredibly welcoming and a place where I feel totally at home. I love being in Melbourne and look forward to making my home there.

"As part of this, I am proud to announce that I will be representing my new homeland Australia, in my professional tennis career from this point onwards. Obviously, there are parts of this decision that have not been easy. I want to express my thanks and gratitude to my family, coaches and everyone who has supported me throughout my tennis journey to date. I will always have respect and fond appreciation for my roots, but I am thrilled to start this new chapter in my career and my life under the Australian flag. Thank you all for your understanding and continued support."

On the WTA official website, Kasatkina has been assigned the Australia flag. Her announcement about getting the Australian residency was welcomed by Tennis Australia's spokesperson as well. "Daria Kasatkina has informed us that she has been granted permanent residency by the Australian government," Tennis Australia spokesperson said, as quoted by Yahoo Sports. "Tennis Australia warmly welcomes Daria, currently ranked world No.12, to the Australian tennis family. Effective immediately, Daria will compete as an Australian and we wish her all the best for her upcoming tournaments."

Kasatkina left Russia after claiming that she found it nearly impossible to live in the country because of the treatment of authorities towards the LGBTQ+ community and the overall human rights situation.